Dale James - Illegal procedure: a sports agent comes clean on the dirty business of college football

(All photos courtesy of Josh Luchs unless otherwise noted.)

Various money orders payable to prized draft prospect, quarterback Ryan Leaf, documenting some of the money given/loaned to him, by me, during his years at Washington State.

National Scouting Combine spring grades including three Pro Tect clients: Tulane quarterback J. P. Losman, UCLA defensive tackle Rodney Liesle, and Utah State tight end Chris Cooley. We obtained the reports from confidential sources, then altered key data, photocopying pages to cover any imperfections. Losmans grade was altered slightly downward so that when he went in the first round, we could take the credit for improving his outcome; Leisles grade was moved down so it would not appear that he dropped in the draft but was expected to go when he did, and Cooley was not altered because he went higher than projected, again a chance for us to take credit.

Pro Tect Managements customized, bound Game Plan to pitch, and ultimately sign, Arizona State linebacker Terrell Suggs.

Me and my buddy Ryan Leaf, clowning around prior to our Las Vegas road trip, during which I wouldnt pick up the tab for his back-up quarterback pals, and after which our relationship was never the same.

My larger-than-life mentor, confidant, and partner, Doc Daniels, now wracked with illness, but nevertheless at my side at my wedding.

Doc Daniels and I meeting up with a client, Michigan State quarterback Tony Banks, at the St. Louis airport to receive his rookie signing bonus from Rams executive Jay Zygmunt.

Young Josh Luchs, sixteen-year old ball boy, in official, team-issue short-shorts at Raiders training campmy first job in football.

Stanford star defensive end Willie Howard introducing my daughter Sophie to bling.

Agent duties: Client Terrell Suggs and I at the 2003 NFL Rookie Premiere photo shoot for trading card companies.

Los Angeles Raiders defensive end Greg Townsendmy first clientand me at the Pro Bowl.

Corey Dillons first annual golf tournament to benefit the Boys and Girls Club: Steve Feldman, defensive tackle Mike Patterson, running back Corey Dillon, and me.

The Sports Illustrated cover storyOctober 12, 2010. I told the truth and began a new life.

Copyright 2012 by Josh Luchs and James Dale
Electronic edition published in March 2012
Foreword copyright 2012 by George Dohrmann

College Football, Agents Go Way Back by Patrick Hruby and Robinson and Donahue Address Agents by Ramona Shelburne. Copyright ESPN.com. Reprinted with permission by ESPN.

NCAA Seeks Insight on Rogue Agents is reprinted with permission from the Associated Press.

Private Trainer Accuses NFL Agent and Trainer Recants Statement About Agent by Liz Mullen are reprinted with permission from Sports Business Journal .

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
For information address Bloomsbury USA, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

Published by Bloomsbury USA, New York

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR.

ISBN: 978-1-60819-722-4

From Josh Luchs:

To my father, Dr. Saul M. Luchs, M.D., graduate attorney, and eternal scholarmy inspirationfor setting an example of high goals and overcoming all obstacles, for having confidence in me even as I traveled an unconventional path. And to my mother, Barbara Luchs, for giving me your unconditional love, passing on your sense of humor that makes challenges surmountable and good times better; your warmth and compassion live on in me and my children.

From James Dale:

To my wife, Ellen, who recognizes a great project when it comes along (like this one), who is supportive through all the hours of writing and rewriting, who tells me Im crazy (in a loving way) when I get discouraged, and who reads the final manuscript and turns out to be right in the first placeit was a great project.

Contents

I first met Josh Luchs in the summer of 2010, and I learned his name only a few days before we gathered at his home in Southern California, but it would not be inaccurate to say I had been searching for him for a decade.

Anyone who has covered or worked in sports understands the integral role that agents play at almost every level. They occupy the space between the players and the professional teams, and it is in this gray area where so many of the great stories begin. When I joined Sports Illustrated in 2000, as an investigative reporter, one of my goals was to find an agent willing to disclose how the business really worked. This was no small task; there is no incentive for agents to talk. Disclosing the inner workings of that world would anger the athletes, fellow agents, and raise the ire of coaches and league officials. An agent who was honest about how he rose up in the profession and how he succeeded would be blacklistedout of the profession forever.

It was no wonder then that I failed many times in my efforts to find an agent willing to blow the lid on the profession. But then, ten years after I started searching, happenstance led me to Josh and to one of the most important stories of my career.

In Josh, I found an agent who had seen the business from all angles. He started at the bottom, the youngest agent ever to be registered by the NFL Players Association, with few clients and little understanding of how the business worked. Year by year he moved up the ladder, eventually representing All-Pro players and conducting business from the swank offices of a Hollywood talent agency. The triumphs and setbacks he experienced along the way make his story a universal one: A young man who succeeds but pays a price for his success.